Bhubaneswar: An American devotee on Thursday was fined by priests for entering into the famous 12th-century Jagannath temple in Orissa’s holy city of Puri, where entry of foreigners are prohibited, police said.
Fifty-five-year-old Paulf Rodgier reportedly entered into the temple along with two Indians, 47-year-old Dhirendra Kumar Sukla, and 23-year-old Asis Saxena at about 1400 hrs (IST) on Thursday, inspector in charge of town police station Alekh Pahi said.
When they were roaming inside the temple the temple priests caught them near the temple’s north gate. The priests fined Rodgier Rs.209 when he pleaded that he was not aware of such restriction, Pahi said.
"We immediately brought Rodgier, Sukla and Saxena to the police station for their safety," Pahi said.
Police will not register any case against them because the priests have already fined them as per temple rules, he said.
The trio had reportedly come to government-run National Thermal Power Corp, located at Kaniha in Angul district, on official work a few days ago.
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